Inspiring Words: Micro Fiction

Her hand dropped to the glass counter, palm down. Tiny pools of moisture formed under her fingertips, it was that hot. If one looked closely enough they could see the tiny specks of red dust, earth, that once clung to her fingers as she walked the dusty road from the bus station, suitcase in hand. Three quarters, slapped onto the surface, cheap price for a bag of Swedish Fish.

Homecoming had an ill wind blowing though it. Even as the steaming pile of metal called a bus, crawled it's way along the highway from the Mason Dixon line heading South, she felt the pressure building. 27 and only a job at the health food store to show for her educational adventures at a private college. Bah! Her brother had already mastered the knack of providing Evidence of Familial Respect. He was a board certified surgeon. She handled Nutritional Yeast.

The chewy candy stuck in her molars, and, wincing, she remembered the small card that notified her of her upcoming dentist appointment, the one where she fully intended to huff that nitrous oxide until her arms felt fuzzy and heavy, and the giggles rose from deep within. "I should floss more", she thought.

Popping another sweet into her mouth, she gathered up her suitcase and headed back to the hot light of day, wondering if she would make it out of this holiday gathering with as much of herself intact as she currently had.